Ridged Tubetti with Cotechino and Lentils, a perfect main course for New Year’s Eve, great to make when you have leftover cotechino.
I admit that cotechino entered my kitchen only in recent years.
Before, I happily avoided it.
But since I discovered it, it’s a delightful treat I indulge in during the Christmas period.
Cotechino is actually a sausage more commonly found in the culinary tradition of Northern Italy.
Its name originates from pork rind and is made of minced meat, fat, and rind mixed with salt and spices. It is, of course, very tasty and flavorful and can be sold both fresh and vacuum-sealed. In the latter case, the cotechino is pre-cooked, steamed, for 5 hours, until it reaches 176°F at the core and is then very quick to prepare.
Tradition has it that it accompanies, like zampone, lentils as a symbol of luck and money.
In this recipe, I wanted to accompany the cotechino with lentils and ridged tubetti, for a delicious and even more flavorful main course.
Below I leave you two more recipes with cotechino as the protagonist.
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Very cheap
- Rest time: 30 Minutes
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 4 people
- Cooking methods: Stove
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Winter
Ingredients
- 10.5 oz lentils
- Half onion
- 1 carrot
- 2 leaves bay leaf
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- as needed water
- 1 tablespoon coarse salt
- 1 stalk celery
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- as needed water
- 8.5 oz tubetti (ridged)
- as needed water
- 1 tablespoon coarse salt
Tools
- 1 Knife
- 1 Cutting board
- 2 Pots
- 1 Colander
- 1 Spoon
Steps
To make the ridged tubetti with cotechino and lentils, first we cook the cotechino.
Depending on what you decide to use, adjust the cooking time.
If it’s fresh, ask your trusted shopkeeper for advice.
Mine is pre-cooked, so I immersed it in cold water and, once it started boiling, I waited 20 minutes for it to cook.
Let it cool.
To cook the lentils, prepare a sauté with carrot, celery, and onion.
Clean them, remove the peel, and cut them into very small cubes, or blend them as I did.
Sauté in two tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil.
Add the lentils and stir for a minute.
Add water to cover, salt the water, add the two bay leaves previously cleaned with a damp cloth, and the tablespoon of tomato paste.
Cook for the time indicated on the package.
Meanwhile, cook the pasta al dente in salted water.
Drain it and add it to the lentils.
You can also cook everything together when the lentil cooking is almost finished.
Adjust according to the pasta’s cooking time.
Mix.
Cut the cotechino package and remove the liquid inside.
Pat it dry with paper towels and cut it first into slices 3/4 inch thick and then into cubes.
Serve the hot pasta and lentils with the cotechino cubes.
